Thanks for the ideas. I’m a n scaler and diesel but the grease, oil and grime are a good look. I may try to do that were my locomotives sit. I’m just a little south of your area. I grew up with Southern , N & W and Seaboard Coast Line all within 12 miles from where I lived. So I’m modeling Southern and N & W into the merger to start N & S . I have picked up other ideas from your channel. Thanks for sharing. Have a good day Larry.
If you're a cigar smoker that is a great source for ashes. The Ole Brass Hat (Bill Henderson R.I.P) was a magician at scenery and many of his cigars found their way to his layout :)
Larry, I watch a lot of your videos. Sort of stumbled on them from watching Chadwick with Charlie Bishop. Your videos are very well done and I just cannot say enough good about your approach to teaching these skills and lending your knowledge so freely. If I had one bit of advice, and this is tiny mind you, when you show a model at the beginning of your videos many times you wave it about so that I have to turn away for a moment until the motion stops as it sort of gets to me and then I dare not miss a moment more! Thanking you immensely. Keep them coming.
Yes, it is a bad habit I can’t seem to break. It drives me crazy to watch it myself and I try to edit out as much of it as I can. It is something I still need to work on.
Excellent conclusion to this mini-tutorial, well done! I was dying laughing at your explanation of getting the ash. For some reason I visualized you sneaking into a park like a spy to get ash from fire pit LOL Again, well done, I will definitely try this technique on my layout!
I am sure they would have been happy to have me haul it all away for them. And it was a lot easier than buying a bag of charcoal and burning a few pieces in my back yard. I was surprised how close it looks to the real thing.
It’s coming. I was busily installing the extended DCC power bus and laying roadbed and track from the staging yard to the point where the helix will be attached to the layout, so I’m getting there. Maybe a week from Friday.
Hi Larry, just what I needed for my diesels. Excellent video. I have a question that would seem totally alien to this subject. Track cleaning??? Have you a video covering this or some advice? There are so many conflicting recommendations on this. Track rubbers.. Blue Magic metal polish.. Isopropyl.. etc etc. What are your thoughts? Again thanks for your time..
Yes, I did one a couple of years ago so dig back. A lot of folks have been proclaiming No Ox It but I refuse to use a grease based compound on my track. A friend tried it on his layout and ended up spending a month cleaning it off the rails and wheels. So I stick with IPA or a dry rag. A scrap of cork roadbed is just as good as a bright boy and won’t scratch your track.
I like the effect of the grease. sand and ashes but I'm less convinced about the vegetation. I've never seen that much growth in prototype service areas as all the oils and greases end up being a pretty good herbicide so anything that does grow is pretty sparse and short lived. Maybe your warmer weather makes a difference on the prototype than is the case here in Canada but a few very small and thin dried tufts would be more than ample to replicate what I have seen.
Yes, I kept it kind of sparse on purpose for that reason. The late 1950s were a transition era with respect to maintenance in yards-they don’t seem to have been doing as much by 1957 when my layout is set but the oil, grease, and diesel fuel would tend to keep it down. I also am not happy with the Walthers grass strips-too uniform and look more like green caterpillars. But I needed something to fill the crack between the edge of the ballast and the fascia. I will probably redo that part later on.
Good afternoon Larry. I have a couple of Peco code 100 insulfrog and electrofrog turnouts. Wondering if you could recommend a good switch machine that works on them without having to remove that nice spring. Doesn't matter if they are manual or digital/electric
I would not recommend using any motorized type of switch machine with those turnouts with the spring installed. Over time it will contribute to early failure of the machine. Peco says as much in their instructions as do manufacturers of other types of turnouts and switch machines.
Not only is it safe and easy, Peco recommends it. If you haven’t installed it already just pop off the small piece of plastic that holds the spring in place. If it has been installed then insert a thin blade between the ties and push down to pop it out.
@@TheDCCGuy It’s an N scale Model Power 4-6-2 Pacific with a Digitrax hard wired decoder in the tendor I think it’s shorting out between the two brass pickups on the engine where the red and black wires go but I don’t know how to isolate them to confirm it
Did it run at one time? If it is at the pickups then you should be able to visibly see the problem. How do you know it is a short, what are the symptoms?
It ran really nice but the pickups “fingers” on the driver wheels weee bent beyond fixing so I had to make new pickups N scale is pretty small and something isn’t quite right ps: I really enjoy your presentations Thanks
Hi Larry I was wondering if instead of modeling clay it would also be possible to use ready made drywall compound? I am using tubes containing „car repariert“ or „Wood repair“ for my scenery and it has a relatively Fine texture. What is special about the clay? This is actually the first time i am writing just wanted to lebt you know That i like your videos asvwell as on digital howtos as your modelling Videos
I would first test it on a scrap piece of track like I showed in the video. I remember that Chris Nevard mentioned that plaster is not a good idea as it stick to the side of the rails too well.
Okay thank you this is a good point. I will probably do a test with masking tape covering the Web of the rail to avoid sticking plaster into it. The rails will get their weathering later anyway with the gray dust and grime colour mix
I am following your instruction and adding an off topic comment so you might respond. How am I supposed to use Decoder Pro and JMRI when it requires Java 11 and I can't download Win 10 version of Java 111no matter what I try. There is no way I can find to communicate with JMRI or Java
I ran into this issue just this week my self. As I understand it you first have to uninstall the Java on your computer and read the material on this website (www.jmri.org/java/ ) for links to where to download Java 11. I have not had time this week to followup so I just kept the version below Java 11 and kept my old JMRI until I get a chance to mess with this. For more details you might visit the JMRI forum on Groups.io as it is populated by a lot of their programmers.
Larry The track is looking good will keep this process in mind
Thanks for the ideas. I’m a n scaler and diesel but the grease, oil and grime are a good look. I may try to do that were my locomotives sit. I’m just a little south of your area. I grew up with Southern , N & W and Seaboard Coast Line all within 12 miles from where I lived. So I’m modeling Southern and N & W into the merger to start N & S . I have picked up other ideas from your channel. Thanks for sharing. Have a good day Larry.
Dpn’t forget when the J makes a run in your area it’s going to have to dump some ashes somewhere!
This video is good and informative
If you're a cigar smoker that is a great source for ashes. The Ole Brass Hat (Bill Henderson R.I.P) was a magician at scenery and many of his cigars found their way to his layout :)
Larry, I watch a lot of your videos. Sort of stumbled on them from watching Chadwick with Charlie Bishop. Your videos are very well done and I just cannot say enough good about your approach to teaching these skills and lending your knowledge so freely. If I had one bit of advice, and this is tiny mind you, when you show a model at the beginning of your videos many times you wave it about so that I have to turn away for a moment until the motion stops as it sort of gets to me and then I dare not miss a moment more! Thanking you immensely. Keep them coming.
Yes, it is a bad habit I can’t seem to break. It drives me crazy to watch it myself and I try to edit out as much of it as I can. It is something I still need to work on.
Excellent conclusion to this mini-tutorial, well done! I was dying laughing at your explanation of getting the ash. For some reason I visualized you sneaking into a park like a spy to get ash from fire pit LOL Again, well done, I will definitely try this technique on my layout!
I am sure they would have been happy to have me haul it all away for them. And it was a lot easier than buying a bag of charcoal and burning a few pieces in my back yard. I was surprised how close it looks to the real thing.
Great advice as always. Thanks.
Larry, great informative sessions the past weeks, but when do we see your finished helix?
It’s coming. I was busily installing the extended DCC power bus and laying roadbed and track from the staging yard to the point where the helix will be attached to the layout, so I’m getting there. Maybe a week from Friday.
Thanks Larry, looking forward to it. Really appreciate your weekly helpful shows!
Kool:-)
Earlier you did a video about wiring signals to the turnout frog could you do one or have you done one on wiring it to a Tortoise or similar?
I’ll see what I can do.
Hi Larry, just what I needed for my diesels. Excellent video. I have a question that would seem totally alien to this subject. Track cleaning???
Have you a video covering this or some advice? There are so many conflicting recommendations on this. Track rubbers.. Blue Magic metal polish.. Isopropyl.. etc etc. What are your thoughts? Again thanks for your time..
Yes, I did one a couple of years ago so dig back. A lot of folks have been proclaiming No Ox It but I refuse to use a grease based compound on my track. A friend tried it on his layout and ended up spending a month cleaning it off the rails and wheels. So I stick with IPA or a dry rag. A scrap of cork roadbed is just as good as a bright boy and won’t scratch your track.
Where did you purchase the Sheffield water column?
That actually is a Fairbanks Morse water column. The kit was made by Tichy #8006.
I like the effect of the grease. sand and ashes but I'm less convinced about the vegetation. I've never seen that much growth in prototype service areas as all the oils and greases end up being a pretty good herbicide so anything that does grow is pretty sparse and short lived. Maybe your warmer weather makes a difference on the prototype than is the case here in Canada but a few very small and thin dried tufts would be more than ample to replicate what I have seen.
Yes, I kept it kind of sparse on purpose for that reason. The late 1950s were a transition era with respect to maintenance in yards-they don’t seem to have been doing as much by 1957 when my layout is set but the oil, grease, and diesel fuel would tend to keep it down. I also am not happy with the Walthers grass strips-too uniform and look more like green caterpillars. But I needed something to fill the crack between the edge of the ballast and the fascia. I will probably redo that part later on.
@@TheDCCGuy Maybe a bit of dry brushing the grass fibres with both grimey black and straw/dead grass colours?
That might work or I may resort to hitting them with another brand of static grass.
Good afternoon Larry. I have a couple of Peco code 100 insulfrog and electrofrog turnouts. Wondering if you could recommend a good switch machine that works on them without having to remove that nice spring. Doesn't matter if they are manual or digital/electric
I would not recommend using any motorized type of switch machine with those turnouts with the spring installed. Over time it will contribute to early failure of the machine. Peco says as much in their instructions as do manufacturers of other types of turnouts and switch machines.
@@TheDCCGuy so I gotta take the spring in order to use a motorized switch machine? Is it safe to do?
Not only is it safe and easy, Peco recommends it. If you haven’t installed it already just pop off the small piece of plastic that holds the spring in place. If it has been installed then insert a thin blade between the ties and push down to pop it out.
Do have anything on how to find a short on a steam locomotive with a decoder installed?
Thanks
First take out the decoder and reinstall the DC plug and see if the short is still there. Second, what loco is it?Is it brass or plastic/diecast?
@@TheDCCGuy It’s an N scale Model Power 4-6-2 Pacific with a Digitrax hard wired decoder in the tendor
I think it’s shorting out between the two brass pickups on the engine where the red and black wires go but I don’t know how to isolate them to confirm it
Did it run at one time? If it is at the pickups then you should be able to visibly see the problem. How do you know it is a short, what are the symptoms?
@@TheDCCGuy the pickups are pretty flimsy and I had to make new ones as best I could
It ran really nice but the pickups “fingers” on the driver wheels weee bent beyond fixing so I had to make new pickups
N scale is pretty small and something isn’t quite right
ps: I really enjoy your presentations
Thanks
Hi Larry I was wondering if instead of modeling clay it would also be possible to use ready made drywall compound? I am using tubes containing „car repariert“ or „Wood repair“ for my scenery and it has a relatively Fine texture. What is special about the clay? This is actually the first time i am writing just wanted to lebt you know That i like your videos asvwell as on digital howtos as your modelling Videos
I would first test it on a scrap piece of track like I showed in the video. I remember that Chris Nevard mentioned that plaster is not a good idea as it stick to the side of the rails too well.
Okay thank you this is a good point. I will probably do a test with masking tape covering the Web of the rail to avoid sticking plaster into it. The rails will get their weathering later anyway with the gray dust and grime colour mix
ｐｒｏｍｏｓｍ 🌺
I am following your instruction and adding an off topic comment so you might respond. How am I supposed to use Decoder Pro and JMRI when it requires Java 11 and I can't download Win 10 version of Java 111no matter what I try. There is no way I can find to communicate with JMRI or Java
I ran into this issue just this week my self. As I understand it you first have to uninstall the Java on your computer and read the material on this website (www.jmri.org/java/ ) for links to where to download Java 11. I have not had time this week to followup so I just kept the version below Java 11 and kept my old JMRI until I get a chance to mess with this. For more details you might visit the JMRI forum on Groups.io as it is populated by a lot of their programmers.
Thank you. I went to AZUL and it worked then I downloaded JMRI and that worked
Excellent, I hope to get mine updated this weekend.
Kool:-)
Kool:-)